The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for sequentially forming and transporting sheet material assemblages.
An apparatus for transferring newspapers from a stuffing machine to a receiving location is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,643. The apparatus illustrated in this patent includes a belt type conveyor which extends beneath downwardly opening pockets of a roter. Upon opening of a roter pocket, the folded leading or lower edge of a newspaper engages a downwardly sloping conveyor belt. This conveyor belt accelerates the leading portion of the newspaper while the trailing portion of the newspaper remains in an open pocket. The newspaper is transported to an inverter having a nip which grips the leading portion of the newspaper. The newspapers leave the inverter in an overlapped stream.
A conveyor apparatus for printed sheet material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,056. This apparatus includes a wheel having compartments in which printed material is disposed. A plurality of grippers sequentially grip the printed material in each of the compartments of the wheel. When each gripper in turn has been moved to a delivery location, it is opened to release the printed material.